Four wins in a row now for the Thunder.
Want to get excited about a few things after the Thunder's 106-105 win in overtime?
Read on.
Want to fret about why it took overtime to beat the Wizards and why no one seemed to be able to cover Bradley Beal?
Keep going.
Here are three things that will make you feel great about flying your Thunder flag high:
1. It's nice to have a superstar on your team.
You know Kevin Durant is other worldly, but do you appreciate it? Sunday was a great example. The Thunder struggled for most of the first 48 minutes, but Durant was amazing. He went three-for-five in the fourth quarter, scored eight points, had four rebounds and an assist. His 3-pointer from 25 feet with 18.8 seconds left tied the game and the Thunder went on to win it in overtime.
He finished 12-of-23 from the field for 33 points, making just the one 3-pointer in four attempts, 13 rebounds and six assists.
The Wizards had Bradley Beal and he was great. They have John Wall and a few nice pieces. Don't be surprised if this team ends up making the playoffs.
They don't have Durant. Good enough to take over every game, not just a Sunday game in November.
"You never feel like it's over when you got a guy named Kevin Durant on the other side," Washington's Bradley Beal said. "We knew we were playing great defense, but he's known for making tough shots."
2. Jeremy Lamb and Perry Jones
Huge shots Sunday from guys expected to be small pieces. Lamb made a 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter to cut the Wizards' lead to three and Jones was the second guy off the bench, played almost 14 minutes and finished with five points and five rebounds. Lamb had 20 minutes of action, eight points and a pair of rebounds.
The two were certainly going to have to play real minutes this season, but the expectations were somewhat tempered, due to the fact neither had shown much so far. But Lamb has been reliable the past few games. Jones has gotten to be part of the rotation. If both can continue to produce, the Thunder bench becomes pretty decent.
Remember, Nick Collison didn't play Sunday night, due to a hip injury. Reggie Jackson came in for 12 points. Steven Adams played 19 minutes and the bench combined for 26 points. Not terrible.
"That was a first time I've played in a game like that," Lamb said of Sunday. "It was a lot of fun."
3. The Thunder can win without Russell Westbrook
They did it on Sunday, now sure it wasn't exactly the Memphis Grizzlies in the second round of the playoffs, but OKC showed a bit of grit with the come-from-behind victory.
Westbrook got ejected at the 3:19 mark with the Thunder down 10. They finished the game scoring on their last six possessions and on a 14-4 run.
Now, do you want Westbrook out of the game when it counts most? Not even close. Of course not. He's too good, but the win showed something with this team.
"We battled and battled and battled and found out a way to win down the stretch," coach Scott Brooks said. "Everybody stepped up at certain times. I like that we battled back."
That's the good, now worry about this:
At this point, it's only November, but you would think the Thunder would be better against some of the weaker teams in the league.
Sluggish against Utah, blown out by Minnesota, a non-convicing win against Phoenix and then having to come from as many as 12 down against a now 2-4 Wizards team.
The schedule doesn't get easier, folks. OKC has both the Clippers and Golden State this week on the road.
Also this:
Durant came through and made the game-tying 3-pointer, but the Thunder are going to have to improve on the 6-of-20 kind of nights. Especially when a guy like Bradley Beal of Washington makes six-of-eight. Beal finished with a career-high 34 points.
The Thunder are 28th in the league at 26.3 percent on 3-pointers. Hide your eyes.
Durant: 34.8 percent
Westbrook 16.7 percent
Jackson: 15.4 percent
Thabo Sefolosha 15.8 percent
And one thing to think about:
Maybe Russell Westbrook could learn something from Steven Adams. Yeah, really.
Remember, Adams took a hard elbow in the jaw from Dallas guard Vince Carter Wednesday. Adams didn't flinch. Didn't react. Didn't retaliate. He earned the respect of Dirk Nowitzki, too, who said, "He's the white Kendrick Perkins."
But Westbrook didn't fare as well. When he got tangled up with Al Harrington in the fourth quarter, in a close game, Westbrook freaked. He pushed Nene and got ejected.
"Did we win the game?" That was Westbrook's response on what he was thinking. Westbrook refused to answer multiple questions about his thinking in that situation.
Again, it's November, so no need to draw a massive conclusion from his actions, but if Westbrook can't maintain his temper now against Washington, will he be able to against the Spurs or the Rockets in April and May?
Follow Andrew Gilman on Twitter: @andrewgilmanOK
